Field
The present invention relates generally to authenticating an integrated circuit.
Background
The identity of an integrated circuit/system-on-a-chip (SoC) is known during manufacture, but after a device leaves the factory, it is a challenge to truly verify the identity of an SoC. The SoC may have a randomly generated hardware (HW) key set in fuses during manufacture (before integration in a device.). The HW key is accessible only to a trusted platform module (TPM) of the SoC.
A partner service may desire to securely identify and authenticate the SoC as a trusted device. However, the manufacturer of the SoC may not be willing to add or dedicate fuses for the partner service. In addition, the manufacturer is generally unwilling to reveal the HW key or reveal manufacturing details to the partner service. Also, the manufacturer desires to limit the number of time-consuming steps required during the manufacture of the SoC.
There is therefore a need for a technique for allowing a partner service to authenticate an integrated circuit/SoC without exposing sensitive information.